Smoked Sausage and Lentil Soup

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The approach of Autumn — on the calendar, even if not reflected in our current weather — already has me looking forward to soups, stews and all kinds of good comfort foods. I absolutely adore good homemade soup. It is economical, makes the entire house smell good, and can often be quite healthy.

I am a big fan of traditional lentil soup, but while my husband does like lentil beans, he really prefers that a soup contain some sort of meat if we’re counting it as a meal instead of a first course. So I was intrigued when I came across this GoodLife Eats recipe for a lentil soup that includes smoked sausage. I opted to go with lean turkey sausage and fat-free chicken broth to keep the Weight Watchers PointsPlus value as low as possible. This soup is healthy, delicious and quick enough to make after work. And Hubby loved it!

In a medium sized stock pot, sautee the sausage until it is browned and fragrant.

Saute the onion in the same pot used for the sausage for 3-5 minutes, until tender. Add the garlic and saute an additional minute.

Add the water to deglaze the pot, scraping up any browned bits that remain.

Add the broth, lentils, and seasonings. Bring pot to a boil.

Add the sausage, carrot and celery, place a lid on the pot, and simmer for 35-45 minutes, or until lentils and vegetables are tender.

1 tsp salt (if you are at all sensitive to salt, this is totally unnecessary)

½ tsp black pepper

2 dashes cayenne pepper

1 dash cumin

1 dash garlic powder

2 bay leaves

1 Tbs fresh parsley, finely chopped

Instructions

In a medium sized stock pot, sautee the sausage until it is browned and fragrant. Remove sausage and set aside, leaving the drippings in the pot. Saute the onion in the same pot used for the sausage for 3-5 minutes, until tender. Add the garlic and saute an additional minute.

Add the water to deglaze the pot, making sure to scrape up any browned bits that remain. Add the broth, lentils, and seasonings. Bring pot to a boil. Add the sausage, carrot and celery, place a lid on the pot, and simmer for 35-45 minutes, or until lentils and vegetables are tender. Serve.

Notes

If you don’t care about points and calories, and want a little kick, use andouille instead of smoked turkey sausage!